1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dental floss device including a handle having a head portion, and a stackable dental floss holder. The dental floss holder releasably attaches to the head portion of the handle by releasable engagement means. The releasable engagement means includes indentations and protrusions on both the dental floss holder and the head portion of the handle. The arrangement of the indentations and protrusions on the dental floss holder makes the dental floss holder stackable. Preferably, the dental floss comprises snap fitting means for enhancing the securement of the dental floss holder to the head portion of the handle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dental floss devices having removable dental floss holders or cartridges are known in the art. The devices generally include a handle with a head portion designed to receive and hold a dental floss holder. In use, the dental floss holder is attached to the head portion and the floss is inserted between teeth. After a number of teeth have been cleaned with the floss, the dental floss holder is removed and replaced with a new dental floss holder.
Replacement dental floss holders are typically packaged and sold in lots of ten or twenty units. The process for making dental floss holders typically involves injection molding of a plurality of holders simultaneously in a mold into which has been threaded a length of dental floss material. The plurality of formed dental floss holders are connected by a plastic backbone as they come out of the molding step. After being formed and cooled, the dental floss holders are removed from the backbone and sent to packaging. Most dental floss holders are not stackable as a result of which they are cumbersome to handle during post-molding and packaging operations.
A dental floss device comprising a handle and a non-stackable dental floss holder engageable therewith is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,982, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Non-stackable dental floss holders are more difficult to process and take up more space in a package than a corresponding number of stackable dental floss holders would take. The provision of a stackable dental floss holder would simplify handling during the packaging operation and would reduce packaging costs. Costs for packaging dental floss holders would be reduced where the dental floss holders are stackable and are packaged in stacked form. Therefore, there is a need for a stackable dental floss holder.